Miss A Columnist

Lindsey Jo Hand realized her love for writing and sharing information at a very young age. Over the years, she has worked as a journalist, a technical writer, and has done some academic writing as well. Lindsey is also a professor of communications for American Military University. During her spare time, she teaches guitar and piano lessons to children, which is one of her greatest joys. She also enjoys volunteering with Hippo Associates or the Southeastern Greyhound Association, making music, exercising, painting, and doing anything outdoors. She also loves spending time with her family, friends, and her dog and two cats.

Recap: Toots For Books Benefit For Literacy In Atlanta

Through her charity initiative Toots for Books, Katoria “Toots” Mitchell, one of Atlanta’s most prominent women in the arts, sponsored Read. Rock. Remedy. on July 7, in which she brought together Atlantans for a night of live music and comedy to benefit literacy in Atlanta. Taking place at Atlanta’s Suede Tapas Lounge, the benefit was hosted by comedian Emmanuel Eman Hollis and boasted an impressive lineup of local and national acts, some of whom have been featured on MTV and BET. The crowd enjoyed performances from Brandy Brown, Terrence Moore (T-Mo), Mosaic, Toots with Khy Ishmael, Haziq Ali and Melody Reyne. Aside from the incredible talent, guests enjoyed an open bar and complimentary samples from the local bakery Dreamy Cupcakes.

While Toots put together an amazing night full of incredible talent, what was most impressive was the passion and sincerity of each person supporting the cause of Toots for Books. Toots, along with each of the acts, expressed a genuine interest in improving literacy rates in the community and were glad to be a part of the event. To top the night off, Joy Endsley, a junior at Georgia State University, was presented with a $500 scholarship, which she won as part of an essay contest sponsored by Toots for Books.

Toots for Books is a nonprofit community service initiative focused on civic engagement and community learning. It is geared towards eliminating childhood illiteracy, crime and poverty by focusing on the fundamentals of success as a direct result of reading comprehension. Books are donated to various daycare centers, community centers, after school programs, summer camps and even colleges. Determined to represent change in her community, hip hop artist and founder Katoria “Toots” Mitchell encourages children to read and take control of their own future through the utilization of their imagination, which is expanded by continuous reading.

The dedicated group of performers and guests (Photo Credit: Lindsey Hand)